As a result of the aging process, injuries and the like, many adults are unable to easily support themselves in a seated position. Discomfort while sitting and an inability to support and maintain themselves in an upright position can represent significant problems for many individuals, particularly those confined to wheelchairs, for a variety of reasons. For example, conventional wheelchairs typically have a flexible vinyl or fabric-type seat in order that the wheelchair can be folded for storage and transport. As a result, the seat typically fails to provide much support for the user's lower torso, which in turn makes it difficult for the user to maintain an upright seated position for extended periods of time. In addition, the edge of the foldable seat can cut into the underside of the user's legs, particularly as the user's weight bears down on the seat for extended periods of time.
In addition, conventional wheelchairs typically have foot supports which fold down to extend beneath the feet of the wheelchair user. When a wheelchair user slumps or slides forward in the wheelchair seat, the user typically has to try to push his or her feet against these foot supports to try to scoot their lower torso rearward in the seat. Because these foot supports are typically flimsy, this "pushing off" can be difficult if not impossible for many to perform, and particularly difficult for the elderly. In addition, it is often difficult for the wheelchair user to maintain his or her feet on these foot supports, and the user's feet may dangle off of the pedals. As a result, the user's feet can fall in the path of the wheelchair as it is being pushed, drag along the ground, and/or interfere with the motion of the wheelchair and potentially cause injury to the user.
Geriatric chairs are often used in lieu of conventional wheelchairs in nursing homes and the like, because they provide greater support for those patients that need to remain in the seats for extended periods of time. In addition, geriatric chairs typically can be made to assume a variety of positions and include a portion which provides support to the patient's legs. These chairs, however, typically have fold-down foot supports which extend from the patient leg support portion of the chair. When the foot support is positioned in its foot supporting position, however, a substantial space typically exists between the leg support and foot support. Therefore, patients tend to get their feet caught in this space, which can cause injuries and substantial discomfort, as well as interfere with the movement of the chair.
An additional problem faced, particularly in many health care facilities, is the transport of the infirm from a chair to a bed, stretcher, car seat or the like. Many patients are in such a fragile state that the simple firm gripping of their appendages by another can result in pain and bruising. Additionally, as a result of discomfort and a decline in their mental faculties, patients often struggle during their transport which can cause injuries to themselves and others.
Attempts have been made to assist in supporting and restraining people in seated upright positions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,878 to Collins describes a restraint for securing an invalid in a chair or wheelchair. The restraint includes a back section for releasable securement to the back of a chair, and an integral seat section for extending beneath the user's buttocks. The seat section terminates in a crotch strap which extends between the legs of the user and is secured around the wearer's torso and chair by way of a torso strap. The back section includes a pair of openings proximate its upper end in order that they can threadingly receive the handlebars of a wheelchair or upright members of a chair. Because the restraint fails to extend beyond the seat portion of the chair, it does not provide any support for a wearer's feet. Further, because the restraint is adapted to be threaded over the chair, the user must be removed from the restraint before it can be removed from the chair or wheelchair to which it is attached.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,297,852 and 3,604,750 to Morales-Quintero and Doering, respectively, describe restraints for supporting enfeebled individuals in a seated position in a wheelchair. The device of the Morales-Quintero patent includes front and rear panels joined by a crotch portion which extends between the user's legs. The rear panel extends beneath the user's buttocks on the wheelchair seat, and elongated straps are secured to the front panel for extending about a user's upper torso. The Doering restraint likewise includes seat, back and crotch portions, and upper torso straps. Because these restraints bind the user's shoulders, they can tend to be uncomfortable to some users and unduly restrictive of the user's movements. Additionally, because these upper torso restraints are readily visible to others, they can be a source of embarrassment to those users whose mental faculties remain intact, and the great degree of movement restriction can be a significant source of anxiety to the user. Further, because these restraints do not extend beyond a user's crotch region, they fail to assist in the support of the lower portion of a user's body.
Thus, a need exists for a restraint apparatus for the infirm, particularly the adult infirm, which supports the infirm person in an upright seated position while enabling the person to maintain free upper torso movement. In addition, a need exists for a restraint apparatus which facilitates the maintenance of a wheelchair or geriatric chair user's feet on the chair foot supports, and for facilitating the transport of a fragile or uncooperative patient from a chair to a bed or the like.